


"Who named such a beast?"

by EdwardNotSoLittle



Category: The Terror (TV 2018)
Genre: Gen, Married Couple, Secretly Married Couple, crozier just picking fights with james, debates over greek history, terror bingo, the cheetah story snippet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23062855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdwardNotSoLittle/pseuds/EdwardNotSoLittle
Summary: Lieutenant Irving 'enjoys' the salted pork at the dinner aboard Terror with Sir John and his officers in this extended crack dinner scene.Terror Bingo:Salt MeatSequel to Cleon
Relationships: Commander James Fitzjames/Lt Henry T. D. Le Vesconte
Kudos: 7
Collections: The Terror Bingo (2019)





	"Who named such a beast?"

As John slid the piece of salted pork his fork he easily concluded that it was not the best he'd ever had. 

It was good, of course, but there was something that he couldn't quite distinguish that caused it to taste odd. 

".... and of course, I did not anticipate that our new mascot would eat our captain's parrot."

_ 'Dear Lord, does he ever stop the chatter?`  _ he thought.

“Cleon…” Crozier repeated the beast’s mentioned name as he stared wearily at his glass, tracing the stem of the glass with an idle finger.

Sir John turned his attention to the Irishman quirking an eyebrow in question. “Something on your mind, Francis?” 

“Aye. Whom was it, pray tell, that gave such a beast that name?” Captain Crozier rasped dryly as he took another indulgence from the Alsopps that Mister Jopson had poured him. 

Commander Fitzjames sent the other man a scowl, looking quite attacked as the Captain continued to look at him expectantly. 

Lieutenant Little did his best to suppress a sigh, already spotting the tell tale sign of the two men going at it again, and Irving couldn’t help but notice how Mister Jopson covered his mouth trying very, VERY hard not to giggle at the stoic man’s despair of their Captain’s insistent need to pick a fight with Commander Fitzjames.

It was Sir John, to everyone’s surprise who spoke next. “Indeed, who named such an animal?” 

“We both did, Le Vesconte and I. After the Athenian General during the Peloponnesian War.” James finally answered, looking quite proud of himself.

“A fine name for him, too.” the silver-haired lieutenant chuckled as he took another biscuit off the tray, “He damn near took your head off when you tried to get that parrot from him.” 

Fitzjames chuckled, lifting his glass, “To that, my dear Dundy, I can drink. I am surprised I didn’t lose my hand.” 

Captain Crozier stared at the man with a bored expression, “You do realize, of course, that Cleon was not the most liked in Athens.” 

James’ expression fell again into another scowl and Dundy quietly lifted an eyebrow before taking a bite of his biscuit. 

“Err… well, if I may, sir, many of the Athenians preferred Pericles.” Graham spoke from beside Lieutenant Fairholme.

“And he was an aristocrat.” Edward added quickly taking a sip of his Alsopps before he was dragged into the discussion further.

Crozier saw how Sir John frowned at his first lieutenant’s words, “Only due to his portrayal by Aristophanes and Thucydides.”

Annoyed with the pompous bafoon’s constant belief that reputation must be upheld, Crozier glared angrily at their expedition leader. “With all due respect Sir John, but that wasn’t the only reason, for God’s sake he was pro-war.”

“Sometimes war is necessary.” Sir John said dismissively. 

“Indeed, though I can see where Captain Crozier is coming from. It was after all Cleon who turned down the peace offer from the Spartans.”

Dundy spared a look at his love as he bit into another biscuit to try to hide the very obvious smirk that was trying to play onto his face and James scowled at his silver-haired partner. 

It read one thing and one thing only.

“For Christ’s sake, the only reason we named it Cleon was because it matched fairly with Clio.” he finally admitted. 

Not a man paid him any mind.

“It was the Athenians who chose to refute the peace offer.” Stanely grumbled sourly, “The Spartans were brutes as it was.” 

Commander Fitzjames turned his agitated stare to Captain Crozier who looked at him uninterested, with a fleck of regret for saying a word as now they had not to listen to the Commander’s heroic tales, but of ancient politics. 

He was already over such a topic.

John turned his attention awkwardly back to his plate so he could cut off another piece of salted pork. 

In all honesty, in the time he’d served with Captain Crozier he’d come to be quite baffled by the fact that Commander Fitzjames could easily rile him up, though it seemed to work equally the other way.

Commander Fitzjames was not amused at all by the Captain’s choice of discussion as it had wounded his pride to a degree.

As a man of faith and hard work he had little care for ancient politics but he did know about them, the basics at least.

The look on the Commander’s face had been rather haunting. A perfect example of what to be afraid of when it came to the phrase, ‘if looks could kill’, indeed. 

Captain Crozier would have been sprawled on the floor were such a thing possible, surely so. 

He knew of course the Captain was trying to entertain himself, if only the man didn’t need to constantly pick fights in order to do so.

It was a relief however to get away from that damned cheetah story. 

  
  
  
  



End file.
